Toronto Sun

High-voltage Prodigy (Fat of the Land review)

• 1st July 1997
• Jane Stevensson

After their disappointing live show in May at the high school auditorium-on-steroids that is Mississauga's Arrow Hall, hopes that this four-man techno-rock outfit from England are the next big thing in music were somewhat dampened. 

But it's not over yet. Not by a long shot.

On record, specifically their recently released third album, Prodigy - led by composer, keyboardist and sampler extraordinaire Liam Howlett - burn it up big time.

Listening to high-voltage tracks like the politically incorrect Smack My Bitch Up, the new single Breathe and the already huge hit Firestarter, is similar to hearing Public Enemy's Fight The Power for the first time in 1989.

Okay, so maybe this isn't a new genre - techno has been around for decades - but Prodigy manages to fuse punk's frantic energy with the urban sounds of rap and hardcore on an electronic hotbed of noises to often exciting, exhilarating effect.

Also along for the sonic rollercoaster ride is devil-haired vocalist Keith Flint, who has become techno's posterboy due to the frequency of the video for Firestarter on MuchMusic, dancer Leeroy Thornhill and rapper Maxim Reality. Rap artist Kool Keith also weighs in on Diesel Power.

Also enjoyable are the cool instrumentals Narayan and Climbatize.

Prodigy are rumored to be returning to Toronto sometime in September or October to play a venue bigger than Arrow Hall.

Yes please.

 

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